The present invention relates to a storage system for planar products.
When storing planar products such as panes of glass or similar materials, care has to be taken to correctly store the materials in such a manner that they do not become damaged or broken. As known, large sheets of glass will break under their own weight if supported in an incorrect manner.
Floor-standing racks are often used for storing planar materials, which are usually inclined, and which require personnel to manually move the uppermost planar products to access the underlying planar products. When the materials are removed from the storage racks, they usually have to be handled manually and loaded onto some means of transport, such as a wheeled trolley or a fork-lift truck.
Handling planar products, for example during industrial manufacturing processes and/or in stores, warehouses or other storage facilities employing floor-standing racks is problematical. The significant weight and bulk of many planar materials make handling difficult, and in the case of materials such as glass, extra care has to be taken because of the inherent fragile nature of the material.
Safety at the workplace is also an important factor. Such planar materials may be extremely heavy, have sharp edges or corners, and be difficult or even impossible to grip effectively because of the bulk involved. Handling such materials can present a serious safety hazard for personnel.
Organization of the stored materials, according to specific characteristics, is also important, if time is not to be wasted when attempting to locate one specific type of material among the many different types which may be stored.
Accordingly, an aim of the invention is to provide a storage system for planar products such as panes of glass or similar materials, which enables the products to be stored in such a manner that they do not become damaged or broken.
Within the above aim, an object of the invention is to provide a storage system for planar products which minimizes the manual handling of the planar products at the storage place and increases safety for personnel.
Another object of the invention is to provide a storage system for planar products which minimizes the manual handling of the planar products and which permits optimization of the organization and inventory of the stored materials.
With the above-mentioned aim and objects in view, there is provided a storage system for planar products as defined in the appended claims.
The present invention provides a storage system with movable supporting carriages that carry inclined frames adapted to support planar products, such as panes of glass or of other materials, but also frames for objects having a different shape, whose innovative characteristic is that the carriages supporting the frames move at right angles with respect to the bases on which they slide and also longitudinally, on parallel transverse tracks that are arranged at the ends of said bases, in order to remove or insert, in one or more preset points, the items to be stored.
Parking positions are provided for this purpose both on the parallel tracks and on extensions of said bases.
Of course, there are appropriate safety devices to avoid danger for the personnel.